My adventures. Russia part 1

Chelyabinsk and Kopeysk 

Earlier in the year I went to our factory in Kopeysk. This was actually my second visit.

We arrived at about 3am after travelling for 19 hours on 3 flights. Birmingham to Frankfurt, Frankfurt to Moscow and finally Moscow to Chelyabinsk.

Although I work only a couple of miles from home, my work is exclusively for the factory.

The factory office

The factory started life during WWII in the Ukraine but moved for protection to its current location in Kopeysk. It makes mining equipment and supplies 90% of all mining machines used for potash extraction.

While at the factory, I do not really get to see much of Russia. During the cold period, the workers are allowed to bring their plants to work where it remains warm all year.

We travel from the hotel in Chelyabinsk to the factory.

We stay all day, including eating in the management's canteen.

Chelyabinsk is a large city of 1.2 million people and is very industrialised.

It is quite grey and set out in large squares, just like some large American cities. The roads are very wide with 6 lanes running through the centre. They also have a large, well-used network of buses, trams and trolley buses.

Cars run about everywhere and overtake on either side. I only saw one accident while I was there. At one point, the 6 lanes converge to go under a bridge. How everyone makes it, I will never know.

Not everything is grey.

This time we left early, at 6am.

Chelyabinsk airport. Note you are not allowed to photograph Russia airfields.

Did I tell you it was -19degC (-2degF)

Part 2 Moscow